I think many of us would be guilty of thinking, at some point in time, that "Britain" consisted only of England. Yes, whilst the seat of power is in Westminster and HM the Sovereign resides in Buckingham Palace, let's not forget our friends in Scotland and Wales — particularly Scotland !
Burns' Night is one of the days where we appreciate Scottish patrimony. Mention a Burns supper and the things that come to mind are haggis, neeps and tatties, kilts and whatnot. Burns' Night falls on the 25th of January or any day of the week around that date, and is held in appreciation of Scottish poet Robert "Rabbie" Burns, his life and his works.
Tuesday the 25th of January was Burns Night on the part of UHSU Catholic Society, and our host for the day was none other than Scotsman and fellow CathSoc friend Tony !
To set the mood, here's a song which I programmed before going to the hall of St Peter's Church, Hatfield for our resident Burns' Night celebration, which I aptly titled Céilidh :
Before it all began...
That red kilt on the hanger is Sarah's (I mean Sarah Langley). She wore it later for the céilidh.
Peter and Evelina overseeing the turnips and potatoes (neeps and tatties). It seems that the haggis was being prepared as well, though I didn't actually see it being cooked... :P
The prepared table. I had cups but I ended up not going back to Chapman Hall to get them, so we ended up using the plastic cups in the church storage.
When it all began...
The one with the kilt is Tony. Doesn't he look ravishing ? : )
I also took a look at Emily's phone and the shiny details on it... and I decided to take a pic.
This is a standard dish of haggis, neeps and tatties... the haggis was served without the traditional casing. If I already didn't freak you out with the Wikipedia article on haggis, let me rub it in : 1) It tastes lovely, and reminds me of fried rice. 2) The description is far from that. We're talking oatmeal and suet with... sheep's pluck (by this I mean heart, liver and lungs), all ground beyond recognition.
The dessert trays. The presentation was just lovely. Michelle bought some cupcakes with Scottish colours (technically, blue and white, but it's difficult to actually render a cake white) to add more festive fun to the occasion. And my, they were delish !
Drink responsibly. Or in French, à consommer de façon responsable.
After dinner, we gathered at the table for an appreciation of Robert Burns' life and works. Poetry readings were done by a few of our members, and Tony in his speech paid homage to Burns, and told us why we celebrate the night.
"I've been Scottified !" Try to guess what materials Gabriella used to make her skirt......
Can't guess ? SHE USED NAPKINS !
This is what happens when everyone gets Scottified ! I recognise the tartan band Gabby's holding to be that of Clan Stewart, but beyond that, I'm not sure... ^_^'
By this time I had been Scottified too : I had tartan hair ribbons ! ^_^
Thereafter, we had an interval between the clearing up and the céilidh, and we had a piper — a staple for every Scots gathering !
One of the commentators to this vid was pretty impressed, by the look of it : he told me it isn't everyday we see a left-handed piper !
So after the performance ended, we went on to the highlight of the night, the longest-awaited event in the itinerary to some - the céilidh. And this time, I took part !! :D
And with that, Burns' Night ended. We made sure to take some pictures before we left church !
Our Céilidh instructors. : )
And we made sure to take home some cupcakes with us !
Thanks, guys, for a wonderful Burns' Night.
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